A group of LGBTQ groups has filed a
challenge to an Alabama law that imposes criminal penalties on
medical providers who offer gender-affirming healthcare to
transgender youth.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, a
Republican, signed the controversial bill into law on Friday.
Senate Bill 184 imposes felony criminal
penalties of up to ten years on medical providers who offer
gender-affirming treatment to transgender youth.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two
Alabama families and medical providers Dr. Morissa Ladinsky and Dr.
Hussein Abdul-Latif. They are represented by the Southern Poverty Law
Center (SPLC), GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC).
Dr. Ladinsky and Dr. Abdul-Latif, who
have long-term expertise in caring for transgender youth, could face
criminal penalties under the law.
“By signing SB 184 Governor Ivey has
told kind, loving, and loyal Alabama families that they cannot stay
here without denying their children the basic medical care they
need,” said Dr. Morissa Ladinsky. “She has undermined the health
and well-being of Alabama children and put doctors like me in the
horrifying position of choosing between ignoring the medical needs of
our patients or risking being sent to prison.”
Families involved in the litigation are
listed anonymously to protect their transgender children.
GLAD's Jennifer Levi called the law
“extremely dangerous.” “It will not hold up to legal scrutiny,”
Levi said.
A federal court last year blocked a
similar law from taking effect in Arkansas.